City Councilwoman Hall

I ran for a seat on City Council in May 2016. There were three seats available  including one incumbent seat. One longtime Bartlett resident won by numbers. The other two positions were  very close. One position became the subject of a recall. I won that position with the Mayor sitting in the recount with me. Initially, after we were sworn in, I followed the Mayor's agenda.
I stood up for him against other Councilmembers and citizens. I backed his play until I could no longer deny the preponderance  of evidence detailing his plans for Bartlett were not in the best interest of the citizens.

I am told by many citizens that people do not get involved with local politics or attend city council meetings because "The Mayor and all Councilmembers have their own agenda". I did not grow up in Bartlett and I have lived here for only 32months. I am not a part of any entitlement  group, or a group with plans to right every perceived wrong that has been committed by previous local administrations up to 20 years ago.

My Agenda  is clear and measurable. 

• A community  centered government.
•  A government  for the people, with their input on issues and concerns that will affect their lives for decades to come. Issues that will affect the city's infrastructures long after God calls me home.
• Being committed to issues that affect investing in Bartlett, rebuilding Bartlett, and being proud to call Bartlett home.
•  Establishing committees as joint ventures bt city council and residents to work on issues that affect the city daily, including a review board for citizen concerns after discussions with City Administration have proved ineffective.
• Keeping the public informed of what is happening in  our city.
• Create  an alliance with area organizations, businesses, BISD and area churches to bring our city even closer together as we reveal our united coalition. Clearly, we will proceed and achieve our goals.
• Research loans and grants that local citizens can apply for to fix their homes. (date for seminar with rural development specialists pending)
• Research other cities our size to find out what sets them apart in a positive way. Bring that information back to Bartlett's City Council.
• Work with other city council members to bring business into our area.
• Work on a more effective way of notifying citizens of  safety hazards in the area.

Absolutely nothing on this list cannot be done with  dedicated City  Officials and City Administration.
As a Councilwoman, I stand on the agenda item and will support all councilmembers as they vote on each agenda item asking themselves how their vote will affect the entire community, are resources available if needed for that issue, if personal gain will dictate their vote, and how does their vote help to rebuild and  restore  Bartlett?

2016

It lot has happened since March 2015. But this post is based on my campaign.

Good dDay to all. My Name  is Ramona Smith Hall. Many know me as Mona Hall. I am running for city council in Bartlett Texas. I have lived her long enough to know what is actually good ,bad and downright unacceptable in this city that I love. There is a lot to be said about past administration, , poor management of the city's resources and city officials pushing their agenda at the expense of the citizens of Bartlett. But I. as a realist  use the history to learn from and move forward.

March 10 2015: A YEAR LATER

As you remember, my family and I moved to Bartlett Texas February 14th 2014. I started my blog writing about the good bad and ugly characteristics of the city I call home. In the honeymoon days every thing was interesting, wonderful , new, different, appealing, appalling, delicious,
distasteful, hurried,slow, practical, impractical, yet a year later, only a few things are the same. The Churches are true to their standards of worship. The Methodist church still stands out above all ( probably because it is the one I have attended most) and conversed with it's ministers and  parishioners. I am aware of the clothing closet, Friday hot meal deliveries to residents in Bartlett Granger and Holland? and the vision of the Church. My second familiar church is Holy Temple. My Husband had never been to a Pentecostal church and cannot wait to return. We keenly remember the sermon and testimony of Pastor Binder.

 For the most part Bartlett's mixed population of resident's are  "what you meet is what you get." This brings to mind, one little lady about five feet tall, a retired nurse. She rides around town on her bike, very opinionated, I don't care who you are. She's a spit-fire, and very comfortable in her skin and situation. Then, there is the City official's wife, Statuesque, quite spoken,  a stand by your man  classy lady who should in my opinion be friends with the former city council women and current local business woman as they  share the same characteristics and have so much in common. It is my belief they  can unite the other professional women in the city including the former and current city secretaries, the Artist, the church mothers, shop owners and lastly the City Council women.

In my initial Blog and updates I asked a lot of questions and left them out there for open answers, but consistent with the don't ask don't tell ,don't ask don't answer, don't ask don't vote atmosphere of Bartlett no questions were answered which  dissolves the mystery of why people don't vote. Simply they don't care enough to vote.

Yes, there are many rumors as to why people don't vote. I will discuss those on the rumor versus fact page. That page will be deleted after in April the reason why will be discussed on the March forum of Rumor versus Fact

Please read though all of the pages as they have all been updated for March 2015.

Bartlett Texas

Bartlett is a city in Bell and Williamson counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 2,684 at the 2010 census.^[3]
Bartlett lies in two counties as well as two metropolitan areas. The Bell County portion of the city is part of the Killeen–Temple–Fort Hood Metropolitan Statistical Area, while the Williamson County portion is part of the Austin–Round Rock Metropolitan Statistical Area. Known for its late nineteenth and early twentieth century architecture, Bartlett was the site for the filming of movies including The Stars Fell on Henrietta and The Dalton Boys, as well as the NBC television drama Revolution.

 Geography

Bartlett is located at
30°47′44″N 97°25′50″W / 30.795621°N 97.430680°W / 30.795621; -97.430680 (30.795621, -97.430680).^[4] It is 24 miles (39 km) south of Temple and 50 miles (80 km) northeast of downtown Austin. The city straddles the line between Bell and Williamson counties; the center of the city is mostly in Bell County, but the slight majority of the city's area is in Williamson County.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1.2 square miles (3.2 km²), of which 0.004 square miles (0.01 km²), or 0.24%, is water.^[3]

Demographics  (please note the current information for 2010)

At the 2000 census,^[1] there were 1,675 people, 571 households and 404 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,373.3 per square mile (530.1/km²). There were 638 housing units at an average density of 523.1 per square mile (201.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 61.61% White, 17.97% African American, 0.66% Native American, 0.06% Asian, 16.84% from other races, and 2.87% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 33.07% of the population.
There were 571 households of which 35.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.0% were married couples living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.1% were non-families. 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.40.
Age distribution was 29.3% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 23.0% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 18.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 91.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.9 males.
The median household income was $26,094, and the median family income was $35,595. Males had a median income of $22,273 versus $21,016 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,649. About 21.1% of families and 25.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.5% of those under age 18 and 30.3% of those age 65 or over.
Bartlett is served by the Bartlett Independent School District and is home to the Bartlett High School Bulldogs. There are plans to renovate the schools currently up for a vote.
ClimateThe climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Bartlett has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.^[5]

 

• Bartlett Area Chamber of Commerce 

Hummmm, interesting facts according to Wikipedia...... but what is actually happening in the small w town of Bartlett, Texas? The answer is  Lots of things, some good , some bad, some just down right ugly.  There is a news paper in Bartlett called the Tribune. I have been informed the owner has been intimidated into not publishing the ugly side of Bartlett's double sided appearance(rumor??? as I was also told this is not true). One side is what you read on the web, and hope for the laid back country style living of a small town. Where your kids can ride their bikes around town, the neighbor down the street bakes cookies for Old Mrs. Smith , the butcher knows little Jonnies family is suffering financially so he lets Jonnie buy a pound of hamburger with the seventy-five cents he got from Ms. Jones for carrying her groceries. Folks walk to church on Sunday and forget about the arguments they had with the next door neighbor as they worship together. Sorry, that is a Norman Rockwell community not Bartlett Texas. Bartlett is a real community with real people. Where bake sales have been held to help families stricken with illness and the word of God still carries weight.


Moving here in February 2014, we were amazed at the atmosphere, which is kind of a step back in time. My family was warmly welcomed with the quiet, slow paced country living with great neighbors. As we were moving in, a neighbor from down the street came over to offer his assistance. This was great, as the help we had hired was insufficient for the large bulky items we needed moved. With in weeks, we had met the next door neighbors, the folks across the street, the ones down the street, and finally, the residents across town. But we were so busy getting moved in we didn't have time to really talk. Then the Mayoral and city council races became the talk of the town. WOW, having never lived in a small town I was astounded with the "politicking". I thought "this is a wonderful small town that has been touched commercially out of necessity . Why are  there political factions?( not just candidates but factions)". Over the next few months (even after the election) I became more and more aware of  the WHY, but the RATIONALE remains a mystery . The ugly side of Bartlett is the politics. From what I see (and mind you I am a new comer) the factions are not Democrats versus Republicans, or Protestant versus Catholic, not racial, or sex, or alternative lifestyles. It is every day Citizens of Bartlett with different ideas on how the city government should be run. The problem as I see it is the  "politicking", slander,  getting one up on the other guy, rumors of intimidation, theft, unethical conduct, and spying on citizens is NOT what people move to small towns for. I was cautioned by a friend not to portray the ordinary citizens of Bartlett who stand up and stand out against what they see  wrong with City politics as a faction , because they clearly are just  citizens who want the best for Bartlett. Using that mind set so is the current city government. This blog is an unbiased look at what is happening using verbiage I am accustomed to. I will not agree or disagree with any entity for office at anytime. I will post facts geared towards  helping each person make an informed choice. I will vote on agendas and not personal traits/personality.  There is a forum and a format for discussion. Please disagree and or correct me. I welcome the truth on all levels.

  My husband and I had 2 garage sales during the summer. We met so many wonderful people. Most of Bartlett citizens  just want the city to move forward (but retain it's historic appeal and small-town charm) and prosper. In all fairness the two factions vying for City government are not the only parties in this city's political typhoon. The information I have from the 2014 Mayoral election shows ONLY 237 people voted for the Mayoral candidates, 237 combined. In 2012 only 247 people voted for the Mayoral candidates. In 2010 only 306 people voted for the Mayoral candidates combined. The 2000 Census revealed 69.7% of the 1,675 people in Bartlett were over 18 years old which accounts for over 1,000 persons. In 2012 Bartlett's census shows 2,684 persons living in Bartlett yet less people voted in the 2014 election than in the 2010 election. It has come to my attention that the prison  population, located just on the outskirts of Bartlett accounts for the other 900+ residents from the 2000-2010 census. It does not matter the name of the town, city, state, or Nation. Nothing will change unless the citizens make sure their voices are heard! If the citizens like what is going on in their communities then vote to keep that trend going. If the citizens oppose what is going on, then they should vote for change! I was told a story by a person in Bartlett, about a person she knows who never votes but always complains about city government. My friends and I have an old saying "die on that hill". If you feel so passionate about something are you ready to "die on that hill or do you just want to talk about it?" When I mentioned to several people I would be starting a blog, I was treated to a wealth of information about what citizens are concerned about, however I received little to no  information on why many of  Bartlett's citizens do not vote, or attend the town meetings, or even consider requesting an audience with the Mayor or  the City administrator! These are our rights! I too am guilty. I have not attended a town hall meeting yet . Please vote and exercise your rights as citizens of Bartlett Texas!

Question: Why are Bartlett Citizens not voting in the local elections?

Situation: Poor voter Turn out in Bartlett Texas
Background: Elections for 2010, 2012 and 2014 show very poor voter turnout
Assessment: complaints from Citizens/ issues that affect their community but voter turn out is poor.
Recommendation: Find out why their is such a poor voter turn out

•  WikiMiniAtlas